Major QB injury news could shift the balance of power in the NFC North

All summer, the Lions' path back to a second-straight NFC North title was looking pretty brutal. The Packers have paired yet another franchise quarterback paired with a talented (and young) roster, the Bears just drafted the best quarterback prospect in almost a decade, and the Vikings somehow managed to move on from Kirk Cousins' departure as smoothly as imaginable. There isn't a bad team in the division, which can't be said everywhere.

And while the Lions still very much have to deal with the Packers and Bears, the latest NFC North news comes with a sigh of relief in Detroit: it sounds like the Vikings are going to be without JJ McCarthy for the foreseeable future.

The Lions (probably) won't have to deal with JJ McCarthy this season

Shortly after the Vikings' first preseason game, rookie QB JJ McCarthy reportedly began dealing with soreness in his knee. After getting it checked out by the team, it was determined that McCarthy had a torn meniscus, and would need surgery.

Due to the nature of the injury, however, no one will be sure how long the recovery will take until they're operating on his knee. If McCarthy only needs to have his meniscus trimmed, he'll be on track to return in a handful of weeks. If it's a full-blown repair, he'll sit out the whole year.

Any in-division QB1 injury is a big deal, and while the Vikings weren't expected to compete for the division title as much as Green Bay/Chicago were, it feels a lot less likely that Minnesota will shock people with Sam Darnold running the offense. The Lions' first game against the Vikings isn't until the end of October, so if McCarthy avoids season-ending surgery obviously none of this matters.

Still – the Lions will take all the in-division breaks they can get, and it looks like they might have been gifted their first real one of the year.